Textile floor covering having a velourised knitted fabric outer surface

ABSTRACT

THE MULTILAYER TEXTILE FLOOR COVERING CONSISTS OF (A) A VELOURISED KNITTED FABRIC FROM POLYAMIDE YARNS, (B) AN INTERMEDIATE LAYER OF A VINYL OR POLYURETHANE POLYMER AND (C) A STICHED FIBER FLEECE HAVING A SUPPORTING FABRIC STITCHED TO ITS SURFACE. THE STITCHED FIBER FLEECE HAS A LAYER THICKNESS OF BETWEEN 3 TO 7 MM. THE MULTIPLAYER TEXTILE FLOOR COVERING HAS A HIGH SOUND INSULATING CAPACITY, A REQUISITE RESILIENCE AND A HIGH LEVEL OF RECOVERY.

Apnl 27,197] SALAMON EI'AL 3,576,701

- TEXTILE FLOOR COVER NG HAVING A VELOURISED KNITTED FABRIC OUTER SURFACE Filed Feb. 5, 1969 v INVENTOR 1 'EANFRED SALAMON, MARTIN WANDEL, HEINZ sum-mar.

' K I BY 7 1 yin United States Patent Germany Filed Feb. 5, 1969, Ser. No. 796,800 Claims priority, applicii tion (ggrmany, Feb. 24, 1968, 33 8 Int. Cl. D03d 27706,- B32b 7/08 U.s. Cl. 16150 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The multilayer textile floor covering consists of (a) a velourised knitted fabric from polyamide yarns, (b) an intermediate layer of a vinyl or polyurethane polymer and (c) a stitched fiber fleece having a supporting fabric stitched to its surface. The stitched fiber fleece has a layer thickness of between 3 to 7 mm. The multiplayer textile floor covering has a high sound insulating capacity, a requisite resilience and a high level of recovery.

This invention relates to a multilayer textile floor covering comprising a textile top layer, in the form of a velourised knitted fabric, a plastics intermediate layer and a bottom layer in the form of a fibre-based fleece or non-woven fabric.

Textile floor coverings are known which have a shortpiled top layer in the form of a woven or knitted fabric which is joined to a resilient bottom layer through a plastics intermediate layer. It has been proposed to use stitched or unstitched fleeces of synthetic fibres for the bottom layer. In order to impart greater stability to multilayer floor coverings of this kind, the bottom layer may be reinforced by a supporting woven or knitted fabric. In addition, it has been proposed to laminate velourised woven or knitted fabrics with a plastics bottom layer or foam plastics layer and to use the resulting laminate as carpeting. In regard, however, to stability under load and to the absence of streaks, multilayerfloor coverings of this kind leave much to be desired.

It is also known that carpeting can be produced by the tufting process and the flocking process. In the tufting process, the pile yarns are sewn individually into a supporting fabric, whilst in the flocking process the individual fibres are embedded in an adhesive. It it clear that pile yarns and fibres anchored in this way cannot be joined firmly together or in any direction of the sheet structure so that floor coverings of this kind are of considerably less utility value than carpeting with a textile top layer in the form of a velourised knitted fabric.

The object of the present invention is a multilayer textile floor covering covering which combines the attractive surface texture and the outstanding wear resistance of a velourised knitted fabric with the advantages of impermeability to dust and water of the intermediate plastics layer, and at the same time has a high sound-insulating capacity coupled with the requisite resilience by virtue of possessing a bottom layer in the form of a stitched, optionally additionally consolidated fleece. By virtue of the plastics intermedliate layer and the supporting fabric sewn into the top of the bottom layer, concentrated loads (e.g. from stiletto heels, and chair or table legs) are no longer transmitted as such, but distributed over a relatively large area, to the bottom layer, with the result that any indentations show a high level of recovery. This ice is achieved through a combination of certain specific individual elements of the multilayer textile floor covering.

So far as the individual layers of the aforementioned combination is concerned, the following features have proved to be of particular advantage:

The textile top layer consists of a warp velours web of polyamide yarns prepared from a face warp and a ground warp in which the loops of the face warp cover an area wider than 1:4 of the loops in the ground warp (i.e. are floated over at least 4 wales of the ground warp). Polyamide yarns with a denier combination of 40/9 den in the ground warp and 9' den in the face warp, are preferably used for the textile top layer. The textile top layer is given velvet or loop pile on one side by roughening, optionally even by cutting. It may also be piece-dyed and/or printed and should preferably have a weight per square metre of 300 to 400 g.

The intermediate or middle layer comprises a coatable or sprayable vinyl polymer, vinyl copolymer or a polyurethane obtained by an isocyanate poly addition reaction which takes place at temperatures below C. To promote adhesion, an adhesive may be added to the plastics intermediate layer. The strength of the bond between the textile top layer and the middle layer or bottom layer should amount to at least 1.5 kg./cm. or tear width. The intermediate layer preferably consists of a polyurethane obtained by an isocyanate poly addition reaction taking place at temperatures below 100 C. whereby the knitted fabric is only exposed to limited thermal stressing so that the pile yarns of the velourished knitted fabric are unable to change position.

The bottom layer comprises stitched, optionally consolidated fibre fleece of 3 to 7 mm. density. The fibre fleece may comprise natural fibres, or synthetic fibres, or mix tures thereof. The fibre fleece preferably comprises fibres or fibre mixtures of polyamides, polyesters or acrylonitrile polymers. In particular, a combination of polyacrylic fibres with polyester and/or polyacrylonitrile fibres imparts a high level of recovery after static loading to the stitched fleece. The fibres used to produce the fleece may have a denier of from 1 to 40 den. In addition to the type of fibres used, the recovery capacity of the fleece is also governed by the chemical binder which is added with a solids content of from 10 to 40% by weight, based on the amount of fibres. solidification or consolidation 1) with emulsion polymers, for example polyacrylate dispersions, or

(2) with plasticisable ashesive fibres or powders or granulates,

has proved to be of particular advantage. Under climatic changes of from 30 to 80% relative humidity, the multilayer floor covering according to the invention undergoes a maximum change in length of 0.2% and has a soundinsulating capacity of at least 16 db insulation value in decibels according to DIN 4109 and 52210. The determination of the decibel values is carried out as follows: The execution of the single measurements of the step noise level and the determination of the standardized step noise level as a function of the frequency was carried out according to DIN 5 2210, issued March 1960. From the diagrams of the standardized step noise levels of the onelayer massive ceiling with and without the superimposed layer to be examined, the diagram of the step noise diminution was determined according to DIN 52210, paragraph 3.1.3. From this diagram the improved level VM was determined according to DIN 4109, sheet 2, paragraph 4.1.2.3 in connection with the diagram for the reference-ceiling of drawing 4 said DIN standard.

It is possible by virtue of the invention to produce a wear-resistant floor covering with a textile surface which can be effectively adapted to any floor surface, is easy to lay, inexpensive to produce, and shows outstanding dimensional stability coupled with high sound and heat insulation. In addition, the floor covering according to the invention does not undergo any dimensional changes through climatic variations, for example in the form of stretching or lumping, which can occur especially with known multilayer materials, plastics-coated textiles in particular. The following example illustrates more particularly the invention.

EXAMPLE The textile top layer used is a warp velvet fabric consisting of ground warp and face warp in which the loops of the face warp cover an erea of 1:6 of the loops in the ground warp, i.e. are floated over 6 wales of the ground warp. The ground warp consists Of 40/9 den polyamides and the face Warp of 90/9 den polyamide melange (blend). Though a napping operation, the sinker loops of the face warp are raised (velourised), napped (torn) and cut in known manner.

The fabric thus finished, weighing about 340 g. per sq. metre, is pressed into a layer of adhesive applied by doctor-coating to a felt surface-reinforced with a jute fabric weighing about 200 g. per sq. metre. A polyvinyl chloride/polyvinyl lacetate copolymer is used as adhesive.

The fibre fleece used (felt) consists of mixed fibres (wool, rayon, cotton and polyacrylonitrile) joined mechanically be sewing to the jute supporting fabric. Chemical solidification with acrylic ester compounds improves the mechanical properties of this fibre fleece weighing about 800 g. per sq. metre. The fibre fleece and the velvet fabric are then joined together under the usual laminating conditions in a gelation tunnel with hot air at 170 C.

The fibre fleece and the velvet fabric may also be laminated with advantage with a solution of a polyester urethane. A solution of a polyester urethane prepolymer and the reaction product of 1 mol of 1,1,1-trimethylol propane and 3 mols of tolylene diisocyanate in ethyl acetate may be used for this purpose.

The drawing shows a cross-section of the multilayer 4 textile floor covering according to this invention consisting of the velourised knitted fabric 1, the intermediate layer 2, the supporting fabric 3 and the stitched fibre fleece 4.

What we claim is:

1. A multilayer textile floor covering consisting of (a) a warp velourised knitted fabric of polyamide yarns prepared from a face warp and a ground warp in which the loops of the face warp are floated over at least 4 wales of the ground warp, as the textile top layer, (b) an inter- 10 mediate layer of a coatable or sprayable vinyl polymer,

vinyl copolymer or a polyurethane having an isocyanate polyaddition reaction temperature of below 100 C. and (c) a bottom layer in the form of a stitched fibre fleece with a supporting fabric stitched to its surface, said fibre 5 fleece having a layer thickness of between 3 to 7 mm.

and a sound insulating capacity of at least 16 decibels.

2. The textile multilayer floor covering as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polyamide yarns of the ground warp have a denier number of 40/9 den and the poly- 20 amide yarns of the face warp a denier number of 90/9 den.

3. The textile multilayer floor covering as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stitched fibre fleece is consolidated with an adhesive.

JOHN T. GOOLKASIAN, Primary Examiner J. C. GIL, Assistant Examiner 0 U .5. Cl. X.R. 

